The first few minutes
- Stay safe. Keep children, pets and any flame or spark away, and do not put yourself at risk to clean up. Wear rubber or vinyl gloves if you handle the oil.
- Stop the flow if you safely can. Close the valve or tap at the tank and put a bucket or other container under the leak. A spill kit's leak-sealing putty, or soft soap rubbed over a split in a plastic tank, can slow it down, but only for a short time.
- Contain it. Use spill kit pads, sandbags, sand or earth to soak up oil and to block its route to drains, gullies, ditches or open ground.
- Do not wash it away. Never hose oil into a drain, a gully or the ground, and never use detergent or washing-up liquid on it.
If oil is leaking from the pipework or anywhere inside the house, keep it contained and call an OFTEC-registered technician rather than working on the fuel line yourself.
Pollution hotlines by nation
Call straight away if oil has got into, or could reach, a drain, ditch, stream, river, pond, the sea or ground near a well or borehole. Have the location, what you can see and when it started ready.
| Where you live | Who to call | Number | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | Environment Agency incident hotline, or GOV.UK's online water pollution form | 0800 80 70 60 | 24 hours |
| Wales | Natural Resources Wales | 0300 065 3000 | 24 hours |
| Scotland | SEPA pollution hotline, or SEPA's online form | 0800 80 70 60 | Staffed 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday; an automated system takes reports and escalates urgent ones at other times |
| Northern Ireland | NIEA incident hotline | 0800 80 70 60 | 24 hours |
If anyone is in danger or there is a risk of fire, call 999 first.
Your insurer, your supplier and specialists
Tell your home insurer as soon as the leak is under control and say a professional clean-up may be needed. Insurers often arrange specialist contractors, but Natural Resources Wales warns they will not cover tanks or pipes that have not been properly maintained, so check your policy wording. Oil that has soaked into soil needs a trained, accredited spill contractor rather than a spade.
Ask your oil supplier to remove the oil still in a leaking tank as quickly as possible; some also offer clean-up help or advice. Your delivery notes and usual usage will help you estimate how much was lost for the claim. Any repair or replacement should be done by an OFTEC-registered technician, and a split plastic tank will need replacing, not patching.
After the leak
Replacing lost oil adds up: refilling with 1,000 litres comes to around £1,198 at today's typical price, which is one reason to claim promptly and keep receipts. To catch the next leak early:
- look over the tank, base and pipework every month
- watch for a sudden rise in how much oil you seem to use
- keep a spill kit near the tank
- stay home for deliveries when you can, so the tank is never overfilled
Our guide to oil tank lifespan lists the warning signs. Once the tank is repaired or replaced, compare prices for your postcode before you refill.
Common questions
Should I clean up an oil spill myself?
Only a small spill on a hard surface, using a spill kit, sand or earth. Oil that has soaked into the ground or reached a drain or water needs a specialist, usually through your insurer, and a call to the pollution hotline.
Can I use washing-up liquid on spilt heating oil?
No. The Oil Care Campaign says never to use detergents on spilt oil or to wash it into drains, a gully or the ground. Soak it up with sand, earth or spill kit pads instead.
What number do I call for an oil spill in Wales?
Natural Resources Wales on 0300 065 3000, which is answered 24 hours a day. In England, Scotland and Northern Ireland the pollution hotline is 0800 80 70 60.
Will my insurance pay for an oil leak?
Tell your insurer straight away and check your policy's oil leak cover. Natural Resources Wales notes insurers can arrange contractors but will not cover tanks or pipes that have not been maintained properly.
Sources
- Oil Care Campaign: Dealing with spills
- GOV.UK: Report an environmental problem (Environment Agency)
- Natural Resources Wales: Check your household oil tank for leaks
- SEPA: Report an environmental event
- nidirect: Report polluted land and water
Prices on this page are Fueltool's live figures for 25 October 2026: the typical (median) listing for standard heating oil, before VAT unless it says otherwise. How they are worked out.
Today's price
Typical heating oil price today: 114.1p a litre before VAT, about £1,198 for 1,000 litres with VAT.
See today's prices